276 
the fituation of one of his Majeftyis Minifters. 
My Lords, I will facrifice thofe confiderations 
over and over again, upon the fame principle. 
It is undoubtedly true, that no pledge was 
given to the Catholics of Ireland that further 
conceflions to them fhould be one of the re- 
fults of the Union; their confent was un- 
doubtedly not purchafed by any fuch promife. 
It is well known, however, from the fpeeches 
in Parliament, upon the great queftion of the- 
Union, and we know that what is faid in Par- 
liament, fomehow or cther becomes known to 
the public, that the underftanding vpon the 
fubje@& certainly was, that further conceffions 
to the Catholics of Ireland, might, ahd ought 
to be a meafure confequent upon the. Union. 
That fuch a meafure was not only politic and 
expedient, but abfolutely neceflary, was the 
opinion, as I have already ftated, of that great 
and illuftrious ftatefman, Mr. Pitt; it was 
alfo the opinion of his great and illufrious ’ 
rival, Mr. Fox, Thefe eminent ftatefmen 
coacurred in opinion in three great meafures 
of policy, namely, the eftablithment of the 
Sinking Fund, the Abolition of the African 
Slave Trade, and the neceflity of further con- 
ceiions tothe Catholics of Ireland. The firft 
of thefe meafures was adopted on its firft pro- 
pofition; the fecond, the Abolition ofthe Afri- 
can Slave Trade, met with much, in my opi- 
nion,miftaken oppofition, but has at length been 
carried. With refpect to the third meafure, 
namely, conceffions to the Catholics, if this 
were to be decided by authorities alone, it 
would be fufficient to quote thofe I have men- 
tioned, the opinions of the two greateft 
fistefmen England has procuced, both, now 
unfortunately Jo& to the country. My Lor s, 
fubiequent to the period TV have mentioned, 
namely, the relignatic-1 oF his Majetty’s Mini- 
fters in 1801, feveral ofiers weré made ty 
me to take a fhare in the Adminiftration of 
public affairs ; my ientiments with ref{pect to 
conceihions to the catholics, being at the fame 
time thoroughly Known, My not acceding 
to thofe offers, however, was in fome degree 
on other grounds. When by the death of 
Mr. Pitt a fate of public affairs arofe, in con- 
fequence of which his Majefty was gracioufly 
pleafed to iffue his commands to me to form a 
new goverment ; I obeyed his Majefty’s 
commands, ‘and proceeded in the formation of 
anew government. My fentiments reipect- 
ing the Catholics of ireland were then, as 
before, thoroughly known, as weil as thofe 
of feveral of my colleagues. We entered into 
Adminiftration, my Lords, witbout any re- 
ferve being made as to the line of condu&t we 
fhould adopt refpeéting the Catholics of Ire- 
land, or in any other way, or as to any mea- 
fures which we might think it our duty to re- 
commend to his Majefty. The ftate of Ire- 
land, from its great importance with reference 
to the general interefis of the Empire, necef- 
farily became a great objet of anxiety and de- 
liberation among his Majefty’s Mintfters, 
This anxious attention was’ directed to that 
State of Public Affiirs in Afarch: 
April 1, 
country, where, by the wifdom and firmnefs 
ofthe Noble Duke ~horeprefents his Majefty 
in Ireland, the commotions which arofe were 
fuppreffed, by the interference of the Civil 
Power, and without having recourfe to thofe 
meafures of coercion and reftraint, which 
could only tend to irritate the minds of the 
people, and which his Majefty’s Minifters 
were moft folicitous to avoid. 
Queftion—the large Queftion I mean, was 
alfo prevented from preffing upon the confi- 
deration of Parliament during the laf feffion. 
Subfequently, however, my Lords, the quef- 
tion of further conceflions to the Catholics of 
Ireland preffed itfelf upon the confideration of 
his Majefty’s Minifters. from a variety of ~ 
caufes. The ovérthrow of the kingdom of 
Pruilia by the inveterate enemy of this coun 
try, placed in the power of that enemy a larger 
portion of Continental territory, a greater ex- 
tent of coaft, and a greater number of points, 
from whence an. attack might be dire€ted 
againft this country than had ever before been 
in the pofléMion of any power with whom we 
were at war. It natvrally, therefore, became 
an obje& of the greateft importance to place 
the United Empire in a ftill- greater ftate of 
fecurity, and to leave, if poffible, no vulne- 
ralle part. 
done by calling to our aid the whole popula- 
tion of the EBmpire,. and. rendering them’ 
effective for the purpofe of refitting any fuch 
attempt, on whatever point it might be made. 
The moft effeétual means of attaining fo de- 
firable, fo neceflary an obje&t, appeared to us 
to be the recruiting the fuperabundant po- 
pulation.of Ireland inte the military fervice 
of the Empire. Ireland, increafing in com-= 
merce and in agriculture, aifo increafes in 
population, beyond the means_which the 
country affords for the fupport of that increafed 
population. Our object was to conciliate four 
millions of people, and to knit together, in 
one common bond of union,.the whole of his 
Majefiy’s fubjefts.~ In this view of the fub- 
ject, the next confideration was the means by 
which this was to be effe€ted. In the year 
1793, in confequence of a fpeech made from 
the Throne, by his Majefty’s autherity, to 
the Irith Parliament, an Act was pafled em- 
powering his Majefty to grant commifiions in 
the milicary fervice in Ireland, to Catholics, 
with the exception that they fhouid not be 
Generals.on the Staff, and that they fheuldnor 
hold the offices of Commander in Chief 
or Mater General of the Ordnance. This At, 
my Lords, I contend, in the liberal conftruc- 
tion which ought to be given td it, extends 
equally to the naval fervice, Various important 
confiderations prefied upon his Majefty’s Mini- 
fters the neceflity of not merely extending the 
provifions of thisAét toGreatBritain, but alfo of 
enlarging them. In looking forward to any at- 
tempt o/ our enemy to execute his threats of in= 
vafion,it ot courfg muit be an object of the great~ 
eft importar.ce that all the troops of the Empire 
fhould be difpofable to be fent to any point 
‘ . Which 
The Catholic. 
This could only effeCtuaily be ~ 
